Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

Phyllis Reynolds Naylor was born on January 4, 1933, in Anderson, Indiana. She grew up during the Depression, but didn't realize her family was poor, because they always had plenty of books. Naylor began making up her own stories in grade school, sometimes stapling the pages and making them into an illustrated book of her own.

Naylor married at age eighteen. She attended junior college, paying her tuition by writing magazine articles and stories. Her husband soon began to show signs of severe mental illness, later diagnosed as paranoid schizophrenia. He was unable to work, and Naylor's income from writing became their only means of support.

Naylor wrote short stories for 15 years before she started writing books. She kept careful records, and recently counted her accumulated rejections - 10,335.

Naylor writes for about six hours every day, usually working on two books at a time. She says she's sure her last words will be, "But I still have five more books to write!"

Naylor and her husband live in Bethesda, Maryland (at 9910 Holmhurst Road, zip 20817). They have two grown sons. Naylor is active in peace and civil rights organizations, walks three miles every morning, and enjoys snorkeling, Chinese food, the theater, and attempting to play the dulcimer.